1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a maintenance method for a fluid ejecting apparatus and the fluid ejecting apparatus.
2. Related Art
For example, an ink jet type recording apparatus is known as a fluid ejecting apparatus which ejects fluid. The ink jet type recording apparatus is an apparatus for recording characters, images, or the like onto a recording medium (medium). Further, the ink jet type recording apparatus has a configuration in which ink (fluid) is selectively ejected onto the recording medium from nozzles provided on a recording head (fluid ejecting head).
In the fluid ejecting apparatus, a maintenance process is periodically performed on the recording head in order to maintain or recover an excellent ejection state. As a specific maintenance process, a process where a cap member (fluid reception member) is opposed to the recording head and ink is flushed (ejected) from the nozzles so as to adjust a meniscus of the nozzles is exemplified.
JP-A-2008-221796 discloses a maintenance method in which a liquid disposal process is executed in order to prevent ink from being overflowed from a cap member for receiving ink flushed from nozzles. In the liquid disposal process, ink stored in the cap member is sucked and discharged when an estimated amount is equal to or higher than a threshold value by comparing the estimated amount with the threshold value. The estimated amount is obtained by adding an amount of ink to be flushed at the time of a subsequent printing process to an amount of ink stored in the cap member. The threshold value is obtained from an acceptable storage amount of ink in the cap member.
However, a problem that ink remains in the cap member arises in the above liquid disposal process. Ink remaining in the cap member without being completely sucked increases in viscosity and is solidified over time. This results in that the ink is firmly fixed in the cap member. This causes problems such as a capping failure and insufficient suction.